Routines
by JennyGranger
Summary: Remus has routines.  When a face from the past shows up, what does it do to these routines?  AU with slight DH spoilers.


Small plot snippet that popped into my head one day. I rather enjoyed writing this. I own nothing you may recognize.

As the alarm clock blared in Remus Lupin's ear, he arose for another usual day that would turn out to be anything but. However, for now, it was merely time to arise for the day's activities, which first and foremost included getting breakfast hot and ready for his little 3-year-old ball of energy known as Teddy. Since he could already hear the rustles and noises of an awake toddler, he detoured into the colorful bedroom to find his turquoise-mopped son jumping up and down in his crib.

"Daddy!" he squealed, reaching his arms out to his father, and changing his hair to match Remus' sandy-brown.

"Hey, Cub," Remus said, lifting his son into his arms, and placing a kiss in his soft locks, "Good morning. Should we go potty before breakfast?"

After another quick detour, it was time to settle down for the morning meal, just like any other day; Remus reading the Daily Prophet over a cup of coffee while Teddy squealed and laughed, lobbing the occasional Cheerio onto the floor or at his father. It was the routine they had developed for the last two and half years, ever since the war and the death of Teddy's mother, Nymphadora. Remus sighed and forced himself to smile at his lively son, keeping a brave face.

A few hours later found Teddy down for his morning nap and Remus on the couch perusing a selection from his extensive collective of various tomes. However, he hadn't gotten much farther than settling down with his book and cup of tea when a curious sound seemed to be coming from the back patio. He ignored it for a while, attributing it to a small animal scavenging for food or something of the like, but when it persisted for several more minutes, he felt like he had no choice but to go scare off whatever creature it may be. Grabbing his wand out of habit more than anything, he made his way through the kitchen and opened the door only to get the shock of his life.

A great, black dog lay there. It had obviously been on its own for a while, for it was ratty and mangy and skin and bones practically. But Remus looked past all of this. What struck him was how _familiar_ this beast was. It was several seconds, almost a full minute, before he was able to do anything. Without question, he helped the canine into the house, for it was November and the temperature was rather cool. Only when the door was shut to the cold wind outside, did the situation really register with the man.

"…Padfoot?" he asked, kneeling down to the dog's level, not really wanting to believe it was really him, "There's no way…."

The dog had merely collapsed in the middle of the kitchen, too weak to walk on its own. However, he was able to wag his tail as vigorously as was manageable at the sound of his name. This was all the clue Remus needed. For the next hour, he worked to make his unexpected visitor as comfortable as possible. Soon, Padfoot was situated on a large pillow by the hearth, where Remus had lit a small fire. After placing a small bowl of food and water next to him, Remus sat down on the floor and absentmindedly began running his fingers through the dark fur as he watched the food disappear in a matter of seconds. Padfoot looked up at him almost expectedly.

"I know you want more, but I can only give you a little at a time," Remus explained, slightly amazed at how he seemed to be taking this all in stride, "I take it you're too weak to transform back?"

Padfoot answered by laying his head down and sighing deeply. His tail was wagging contently, glad to be in the company of his best friend after all this time. Remus smiled and, with one last pat to the dog's head, stood up. He was rewarded with a look of curiosity and slight disappointment.

"There's someone I want you to meet," was all he said before he left the room. It was a minute before he returned carrying Teddy in his arms. It was obvious the toddler had just woken up, but his eyes brightened as soon as he laid eyes on the furry newcomer, "This is my son, Teddy. Be gentle, Cub."

Padfoot allowed the toddler to gently stroke him, and even ran his tongue softly over a small hand that ventured close enough to his mouth, earning a sweet giggle. However, it was clear that he was tiring after all that had happened over the past few hours, and he was fighting consciousness. He vaguely heard Remus say something, then both father and son were gone, but no other memory resides on the doggy brain other than sleep.

Padfoot was awoken throughout the rest of the day and encouraged to eat more small portions of food. Every time this happened, he would do as told and merely fell back asleep, too exhausted to do anything else. The next time he awoke of his own accord, it was late in the night and he was very surprised to find a bundle of blankets on the floor next to him, a very familiar and welcome smell emanating from them. He shifted around so he was able to reach the only part of he could see of the human nesting there; a mop of sandy-blond hair. Snorting and snuffling into the soft locks, he was able to gently rouse his friend.

"Mmbrgh," Remus mumbled, rolling over. It seemed to take several seconds for him to remember why he was on the floor next to a huge, black dog. Then, he merely reached out and placed a hand on the canine's head, "How we doing?" he asked gently, withdrawing his hand so he could push himself into a sitting position.

Padfoot's tail wagged for a minute, while Remus was speaking, but at the question, he let out a small whine. Still unable to transform, he had to figure out a way to communicate his current problem and take it as, well, a dog.

"What is it?" Remus asked, picking up that something was amiss, but all he got was another whine, more persistent this time. He studied the dog for a minute before something seemed to click, "Do you have to… go out?"

Padfoot's tail wagged and his head shot up in response. He started to rise, but didn't get very far on his own. Remus sighed, slightly uncomfortable with the situation, but he knew he had to help. Standing up, he thought about the best way to go about this. Getting an idea, he went over and dug into a nearby closet for a minute before coming out with an old scarf. Padfoot cocked his head out of curiosity.

"You'll see," Remus said, kneeling down next to his charge. He proceeded to wrap the scarf around Padfoot's midsection, right in front of his hind legs. "Now, can you stand?"

After a minute of struggling, they were able to get the dog onto all four feet, with Remus helping him stay upright via the scarf around his abdomen. Slowly, they made their way through the kitchen and out the back door, into the cold late-autumn night.

Several minutes of awkwardness later, they made their way back into the house, both shivering and speckled with white as it had started to snow lightly. Once Padfoot was back on his makeshift bed, the events had drained him of what little energy he had at the moment. However, Remus kept him awake for a little bit longer to encourage him to eat another small amount of food before he was allowed to doze off once again.

The next morning, Padfoot was awoken by several small things bouncing off his head. Opening his eyes, he noticed several small pieces of dry cereal on the floor before him. He heard a small giggle before he was pelted with more of the food. Looking up, he could see Teddy in his high chair, grabbing another fistful of his ammunition.

"Teddy, that's your breakfast," Remus' voice came from somewhere out of view, "You eat it, or you won't get any more."

Padfoot grinned a doggy grin before scarfing up all the pieces he could reach, his tail wagging furiously. Even when all the small bits were gone from his reach, he managed to pull himself halfway off his bed to get the remaining pieces, earning more giggles from the toddler. Only when a pair of feet appeared in his view did he stop and look up. Remus stood there with a small bowl of the usual ground meat, with a very amused look on his face.

"Here you go, you great slobbering beast," he said, placing the dish in front of the twitching nose, only to pull it about a foot away, "Come get it." He received a small, pathetic whine and a pair of very convincing puppy eyes in response, "Oh, don't give me that. You need to build up your strength again."

Padfoot mustered the best doggy glare he could before inching his way forward in the most pathetic way possible. Remus didn't give in, however, and just stood there, watching the dog at his feet belly crawl his way to his food. When Padfoot finally reached the small, metal dish, he wolfed it down as usual, but something else caught Remus' attention; a small sound of metal hitting metal. Curious, he placed his hand in the tufts of the dog's neck, only to find a small, black, nylon collar, blending in perfectly with the thick fur.

"How did I not notice that?" he muttered, twisting it around to find the snap. There wasn't one. Only a small metal ring with a tag on it. Squinting, he could only make out a few dashes and lines that he suspected were once etchings in the metal that had faded with time.

"Daddy!"

Both Remus and Padfoot jumped at the sound of the toddler's voice. They both looked over to find Teddy had attempted to crawl out of his high chair on his own and was now stuck halfway. Sighing, Remus made his way over to free his son. Once this feat was accomplished, and the bits of food cleaned up from the tray and surrounding floor, Remus was able to turn his attention back to his new discovery. Or, at least, turn back on the scene of his son with his arms wrapped deep in the fur of the dog. Childlike laughter filled the air as Padfoot twisted his head around to run his nose over Teddy's face, tickling him with his whiskers, his tail wagging furiously. Remus sat down beside the pair and looked down at them, smiling nostalgically.

"His mother died in the war," he said simply, reaching out to ruffle his son's locks, turned black to match their visitor. Padfoot whined and reached out to bump his friend's hand with his nose.

At first, Remus merely pats his head, but eventually moved his hand down to inspect the collar again. His brow furrowed, trying to figure it out. Twisting it around to see the tag again, he wondered what it had said at some point in time. A name? An address?

"Hold on…" he said, leaning forward and squinting into the small piece of metal, "A…B…A…That might be a T… Possibly an O… R…E…. What on Earth?"

He suddenly stood up, grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and wrote down the letters he was able to recognize. He stared at the strange constellation of letters, trying to figure it out. But he was forced to disregard it for now as Teddy cried something about needing to go potty.

It was several more hours before he was able to pick up the stray parchment again. It was after lunch, when Teddy was down for his afternoon nap and even Padfoot had drifted off, curled up on his makeshift bed. This gave Remus a chance to sit down with a cup of tea and a quill.

"Aba… Abatore… Abalare… There has to be more to this." He was mumbling to himself as he stood back up and went to his bookshelf that was packed to the brim with everything from children's books to spell books. Selecting his hardback of choice, he returned to the old wood dining table and started flipping through the pages. Only when movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, did he look up.

Padfoot had made his way to his feet and was slowly, but surely, making his way over to the table. All Remus could do was watch as the dog that had come to him, so weak and emaciated, made his way across the room on his own. When he finally did make it over to his friend, Padfoot sat down and placed his head on Remus' lap, looking up at him through his silver puppy-dog eyes.

"It's the collar that's keeping you from transforming back, isn't it?" he asked, ruffling the dog's ears, "Let me see this again," he once again found the small tag hanging from the collar and bent down to inspect the vague inscriptions once again, "A…B…A… Okay, I got that. Wait, I think there's something else in there. I? L? Abla… Abia… No, it's most definitely an L. Ablato….? Ablatio? Ablatio? Where have I heard that before? I know that's a spell, but what does it do?" He once again buried his nose into his book, keeping one hand on Padfoot's head, still on his lap, "'Ablatio Rei.' It's a removal spell. I suppose there's no harm in trying it, right? It seems to make sense. What do you think?"

He looked down into the stormy grey eyes of his friend, and knew the answer to the question before he was even asked. Sirius wanted to be human just as bad as Remus wanted to see his old friend again. He grabbed his wand and touched it to the piece of black nylon and muttered the newfound spell. Immediately, the material split apart at the metal ring holding the tag, leaving Remus holding the collar and Padfoot to stand and shake his whole body before finally being able to transform into his human form. The two locked eyes and before any of them could speak, Remus slid off his chair and into Sirius' arms.

"Are you crying?" Sirius asked, a minute later, gently pushing Remus back to reveal the tears running out of his brown eyes. They both smiled as he used his thumb to wipe a stray one off his cheek.

"It just hit me that…" he paused, looking for the right words, "How? You were…. It's been years."

Sirius merely chuckled before explaining, "I was. I really was. I can't figure it out, but, while it was peaceful, I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't supposed to be there. It just wasn't my time yet. Next thing I know, I woke up in a vacant lot in London. It's been almost a year and a half, and I finally found you. With a son, even."

"Yeah…" Remus said, looking down and vaguely in the direction of the bedroom where his son was currently residing, "A son."

"He's beautiful, Moony. Smells just like you," he added with a mischievous grin. Remus couldn't help but smile in response, before looking back at his friend, "I still can't believe it…"

"Come here," Sirius said, pulling his Moony to him once again. They embraced like the long-lost friends they were, and they both knew their lives would never be the same.

It's been six months. A lot has changed. Teddy was fully potty-trained and was even starting to show his first signs of magic, besides being a Metamorphmagus, of course. They marveled at seeing him be able to retrieve his toys even from the highest of shelves, which made it very difficult to keep them away from him when he was to be punished.

"Teddy…" Sirius called out in a warning tone, catching the four-year-old straining to get his favorite stuffed wolf from atop the refrigerator where his dad had put it only moments before, "You know you're not supposed to have that until naptime."

"But Siwius..." Teddy said, morphing his hair and eyes to match Padfoot's best puppy-dog look. Fortunately, he had started doing this shortly after Sirius moved in, so both men had had time to grow immune to that treatment.

"No means no, young man," Sirius said, reaching out to ruffle the tot's hair as it turned from black to bright turquoise, "You can have it back at naptime. Why don't you go play outside until your dad gets home from the store?"

"I don't wanna," Teddy said, sitting down in the middle of the kitchen and crossing his arms in a champion-style pout.

"Suit yourself," Sirius said, taking a seat at the table and taking out a pack of cards. As he predicted, Teddy sat stubbornly for a few moments before standing and walking up to the table, inquiring Sirius about what he was playing.

This was their new routine. It signified a new life, that did not entirely replace the old, but it helped in the process of moving on. As Remus came home a while later, and walked in on a game of 52 pick-up spread out over the kitchen table, only to find the two culprits asleep on the couch. Pausing only to place a blanket over the pair, he proceeded to put his groceries away, thinking about how much his life has changed. He lost his wife, but he found his best friend back. One does not replace the other, but merely hold their own role in life. A life that's always changing, morphing, and throwing whatever it can at you. Life that you don't always have a handle on, but will always give back in the end, if you just give it a chance.

I may write a sequel. For now, though, this is it. Please review!


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